Mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal including a body having a front surface, a roar surface and side surfaces; a window disposed on the front surface, and having its edge portion bent so as to form at least part of the side surfaces; a frame configured to support the window; a display disposed to face the window, and configured to output visual information and formed such that its edge portion is bent in correspondence to a bent shape of the window; and a touch sensor disposed between the window and the display, configured to sense a touch input applied to the window. Also, the touch sensor includes a folded part. Furthermore, the touch sensor comprises a curved portion curved by the folded part of the touch sensor. In addition, the curved portion is spaced from an end part of the display in a thickness direction of the body so as to form a space between the end part of the display and the curved portion. Lastly, an accommodation groove is recessed from the frame in the thickness direction of the body and is configured to accommodate therein at least part of the curved portion of the touch sensor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/157,160 filed on Jan. 16, 2014, which claims priority toKorean Application No. 10-2013-0095589, filed on Aug. 12, 2013, theentire contents of all of the above applications are hereby incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal, and particularly,to a mobile terminal having a display and a touch sensor.

Discussion of the Related Art

In general, a terminal may be classified into a mobile (portable)terminal and a stationary terminal according to a moveable state. Themobile terminal may be also classified into a handheld terminal and avehicle mount terminal according to a user's carriage method.

As functions of the terminal become more diversified, the terminal cansupport more complicated functions such as capturing images or video,reproducing music or video files, playing games, receiving broadcastsignals, and the like. By comprehensively and collectively implementingsuch functions, the mobile terminal may be embodied in the form of amultimedia player or a device.

Various attempts have been made to implement complicated functions insuch a multimedia device by means of hardware or software. As oneexample, a user interface for allowing a user to easily and convenientlysearch for or select a function is being provided.

As the mobile terminal is regarded as a personal belonging to express auser's personality, various designs are required. The designs includestructural changes and improvements for allowing a user to moreconveniently use the mobile terminal. As one of such structural changesand improvements, a structure, where a side touch as well as a fronttouch is implemented and the mobile terminal is easily fabricated, maybe considered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an aspect of the detailed description is to provide a mobileterminal having a new type of structure for a front touch and a sidetouch.

Another aspect of the detailed description is to provide a mobileterminal capable of implementing side touch, and capable of minimizing asize of a bezel portion.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis provided a mobile terminal, comprising: a body having a frontsurface, a rear surface and side surfaces; a window disposed on thefront surface, and having its edge portion bent so as to form at leastpart of the side surfaces; a display disposed to face the window, andconfigured to output visual information; and a touch sensor disposedbetween the window and the display, configured to sense a touch inputapplied to the window, and covering a rear surface of the display as atleast part thereof is folded.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the window may comprise afront portion which forms at least part of the front surface; and aninclined portion which extends from an edge portion of the front portionin a direction inclined from the front portion. The touch sensor maycomprise a first part corresponding to the front portion, a second partcorresponding to the inclined portion partially or wholly, and a thirdpart folded partially or wholly so as to be overlapped with the secondpart. Touch sensing patterns may be formed at the first part and thesecond part. And signal transmission patterns, connected to the touchsensing patterns and configured to transmit touch signals to a circuitboard, may be formed at the third part. A flexible printed circuit board(FPCB) connected to the circuit board may be mounted to the third part.A plurality of cut-out portions may be formed at the third part.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensor may comprisea curved portion curved by the folding between the second part and thethird part. The body may comprise a frame which supports the window. Anaccommodation groove, configured to accommodate therein at least part ofthe curved portion, may be formed at the frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an edge portion of thedisplay may be disposed between the second part and the third part. Thethird part may be bonded to the rear surface of the display.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the window may comprise avertical side portion which extends from the inclined portion in athickness direction of the body. The second part of the touch sensor maybe bent from at least one point so as to cover both of the inclinedportion and the vertical side portion. The third part of the touchsensor may be formed to have a shape corresponding to that of the secondpart, so as to maintain a gap from the second part.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the display may be formedsuch that its edge portion is bent in correspondence to a bent shape ofthe window. The touch sensor may comprise a curved portion curved by thefolding. The curved portion may be spaced from an end part of thedisplay in a thickness direction of the body. A space may be formedbetween the end of the display and the curved portion. A metallic membermay be disposed at the space.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda mobile terminal, comprising: a window formed of a transmissivematerial; a display having a side end part spaced from a side end partof the window, disposed to face the window, and configured to outputvisual information; and a touch sensor disposed between the window andthe display, configured to sense a touch input applied to the window,and covering a rear surface of the display with enclosing an end part ofthe display.

Further scope of applicability of the present application will becomemore apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However,it should be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of thedisclosure.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual view illustrating an operation of a mobileterminal according to the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according tothe present invention;

FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 3 a;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line ‘A-A’ in FIG. 3 a;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part ‘B’ in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 3 a;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a mobile terminal according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a mobile terminal according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a mobile terminal according to anotherembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part “B” in FIG. 4 with a metallic memberaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal of the present invention will beexplained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Thesuffixes attached to components of the mobile terminal, such as ‘module’and ‘unit or portion’ were used for facilitation of the detaileddescription of the present invention. Therefore, the suffixes do nothave different meanings from each other.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention may include asmart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA), Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), anavigation system, etc.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 includes a radiocommunication unit 110, an A/V (Audio/Video) input unit 120, a userinput unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, aninterface unit 170, a controller 180, and a power supply unit 190. FIG.1 shows the mobile terminal 100 having various components, but it isunderstood that implementing all of the illustrated components is not arequirement. The mobile terminal 100 may be implemented by greater orfewer components.

Hereinafter, each of the above components will be explained.

The radio communication unit 110 typically includes one or morecomponents to authorize radio communication between the mobile terminal100 and a radio communication unit system or a network in which themobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the radio communicationunit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobilecommunication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short rangecommunication module 114, a location information module 115, etc.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and/orbroadcast associated information from an external broadcast managementserver (or other network entity) via a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and/or aterrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may mean a serverfor generating broadcast signals and/or broadcast-related informationand transmitting them to the mobile terminal, or a server for receivinggenerated broadcast signals and/or broadcast-related information andtransmitting them to the mobile terminal. The broadcast signal mayinclude a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a databroadcast signal, and the like. Also, the broadcast signal may furtherinclude a broadcast signal combined with a TV or radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast associated information may also be provided via a mobilecommunication network and, in this case, the broadcast associatedinformation may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast signal may exist in various forms. For example, it mayexist in the form of an electronic program guide (EPG) of digitalmultimedia broadcasting (DMB), electronic service guide (ESG) of digitalvideo broadcast-handheld (DVB-H), and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to receive signalsbroadcast by using various types of broadcast systems. In particular,the broadcast receiving module 111 may receive a digital broadcast byusing a digital broadcast system such as multimediabroadcasting-terrestrial (DMB-T), digital multimediabroadcasting-satellite (DMB-S), digital video broadcast-handheld(DVB-H), the data broadcasting system known as media forward link only(MediaFLO®), integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T),etc. The broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitablefor every broadcast system that provides a broadcast signal as well asthe above-mentioned digital broadcast systems.

Broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting associated information receivedthrough the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits/receives wireless signalsto/from at least one of network entities (e.g., base station, anexternal terminal, a server, etc.) on a mobile communication network.Here, the wireless signals may include audio call signal, video callsignal, or various formats of data according to transmission/receptionof text/multimedia messages.

The wireless internet module 113 supports wireless Internet access forthe mobile terminal. This module may be internally or externally coupledto the mobile terminal 100. Examples of such wireless Internet accessmay include Wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro),World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short-range communication module 114 denotes a module forshort-range communications. Suitable technologies for implementing thismodule may include BLUETOOTH, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-WideBand (UWB), ZigBee, and thelike.

The position information module 115 denotes a module for sensing orcalculating a position of a mobile terminal. An example of the positioninformation module 115 may include a Global Position System (GPS)module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A/V input unit 120 is configured to receive anaudio or video signal. The A/V input unit 120 may include a camera 121,a microphone 122 or the like. The camera 121 processes image data ofstill pictures or video acquired by an image capture device in a videocapturing mode or an image capturing mode. The processed image framesmay be displayed on a display module 151.

The image frames processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory160 or transmitted via the wireless communication unit 110. The camera121 may be provided in two or more according to the configuration of themobile terminal.

The microphone 122 may receive sounds (audible data) via a microphone ina phone call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, and thelike, and can process such sounds into audio data. The processed audiovoice) data may be converted for output into a format transmittable to amobile communication base station via the mobile communication module112 in case of the phone call mode. The microphone 122 may implementvarious types of noise canceling (or suppression) algorithms to cancel(or suppress) noise or interference generated in the course of receivingand transmitting audio signals.

The user input unit 130 may generate key input data from commandsentered by a user to control various operations of the mobilecommunication terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a keypad, adome switch, a touch pad (e.g., a touch sensitive member that detectschanges in resistance, pressure, capacitance, etc. due to beingcontacted) a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 detects a current status (or state) of the mobileterminal 100 such as an opened or closed state of the mobile terminal100, a location of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence ofuser contact with the mobile terminal 100, the orientation of the mobileterminal 100, an acceleration or deceleration movement and direction ofthe mobile terminal 100, etc., and generates commands or signals forcontrolling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, whenthe mobile terminal 100 is implemented as a slide type mobile phone, thesensing unit 140 may sense whether the slide phone is open or closed. Inaddition, the sensing unit 140 can detect whether or not the powersupply unit 190 supplies power or whether or not the interface unit 170is coupled with an external device. The sensing unit 140 may include aproximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is configured to provide outputs in a visual,audible, and/or tactile manner. The output unit 150 may include thedisplay module 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, ahaptic module 154, and the like.

The display module 151 may display information processed in the mobileterminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in a phonecall mode, the display module 151 may display a User Interface (UI) or aGraphic User Interface (GUI) associated with a call or othercommunication (such as text messaging, multimedia file downloading,etc.). When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or imagecapturing mode, the display module 151 may display a captured imageand/or received image, a UI or GUI that shows videos or images andfunctions related thereto, and the like.

The display module 151 may include at least one of a liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor-LCD (TFT-LCD), an Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED) display, a flexible display, a three-dimensional(3D) display, or the like.

Some of these displays may be configured to be transparent so thatoutside may be seen therethrough, which may be referred to as atransparent display. A representative example of the transparent displaymay include a Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode (TOLED), and thelike. The rear portion of the display module 151 may also be implementedto be optically transparent. Under this configuration, a user can viewan object positioned at a rear side of a body through a region occupiedby the display module 151 of the body.

The display module 151 may be implemented in two or more in numberaccording to a configured aspect of the mobile terminal 100. Forinstance, a plurality of displays may be arranged on one surfaceintegrally or separately, or may be arranged on different surfaces.

Here, if the display module 151 and a touch sensitive sensor (referredto as a touch sensor) have a layered structure therebetween, thestructure may be referred to as a touch screen. The display module 151may be used as an input device rather than an output device. The touchsensor may be implemented as a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad,and the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert changes of a pressureapplied to a prescribed part of the display module 151; or a capacitanceoccurring from a prescribed part of the display module 151, intoelectric input signals. Also, the touch sensor may be configured tosense not only a touched position and a touched area, but also a touchpressure.

When touch inputs are sensed by the touch sensors, corresponding signalsare transmitted to a touch controller (not shown). The touch controllerprocesses the received signals, and then transmits corresponding data tothe controller 180. Accordingly, the controller 180 may sense whichregion of the display module 151 has been touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be arranged at an innerregion of the mobile terminal blocked by the touch screen, or near thetouch screen. The proximity sensor 141 indicates a sensor to sensepresence or absence of an object approaching to a surface to be sensed,or an object disposed near a surface to be sensed, by using anelectromagnetic field or infrared rays without a mechanical contact. Theproximity sensor 141 has a longer lifespan and a more enhanced utilitythan a contact sensor.

The proximity sensor 141 may include a transmissive type photoelectricsensor, a direct reflective type photoelectric sensor, a mirrorreflective type photoelectric sensor, a high-frequency oscillationproximity sensor, a capacitance type proximity sensor, a magnetic typeproximity sensor, an infrared rays proximity sensor, and so on. When thetouch screen is implemented as a capacitance type, proximity of apointer to the touch screen is sensed by changes of an electromagneticfield. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be categorizedinto a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for the sake of brief explanation, a status that thepointer is positioned to be proximate onto the touch screen withoutcontact will be referred to as ‘proximity touch’, whereas a status thatthe pointer substantially comes in contact with the touch screen will bereferred to as ‘contact touch’. For the position corresponding to theproximity touch of the pointer on the touch screen, such positioncorresponds to a position where the pointer faces perpendicular to thetouch screen upon the proximity touch of the pointer.

The proximity sensor 141 senses proximity touch, and proximity touchpatterns (e.g., distance, direction, speed, time, position, movingstatus, etc.). Information relating to the sensed proximity touch andthe sensed proximity touch patterns may be output onto the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may convert and output as sound audio datareceived from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in thememory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode, a record mode,a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like.Also, the audio output module 152 may provide audible outputs related toa particular function performed by the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., a callsignal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.). The audiooutput module 152 may include a speaker, a buzzer, and so on.

The alarm unit 153 may provide outputs to inform about the occurrence ofan event of the mobile terminal 100. Typical events may include callreception, message reception, key signal inputs, a touch input, etc. inaddition to audio or video outputs, the alarm unit 153 may provideoutputs in a different manner to inform about the occurrence of anevent. The video signal or the audio signal may be output via thedisplay module 151 or the audio output module 152. Accordingly, thedisplay module 151 or the audio output module 152 may be classified aspart of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects which a user canfeel. A representative example of the tactile effects generated by thehaptic module 154 includes vibration. Vibration generated by the hapticmodule 154 may have a controllable intensity, a controllable pattern,and so on. For instance, different vibration may be output in asynthesized manner or in a sequential manner.

The haptic module 154 may generate various tactile effects, includingnot only vibration, but also arrangement of pins vertically moving withrespect to a skin being touched (contacted), air injection force or airsuction force through an injection hole or a suction hole, touch by askin surface, presence or absence of contact with an electrode, effectsby stimulus such as an electrostatic force, reproduction of cold or hotfeeling using a heat absorbing device or a heat emitting device, and thelike.

The haptic module 154 may be configured to transmit tactile effects(signals) through a user's direct contact, or a uses muscular senseusing a finger or a hand. The haptic module 154 may be implemented intwo or more in number according to the configuration of the mobileterminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the processing and control of thecontroller 180. Alternatively, the memory 160 may temporarily storeinput/output data (e.g., phonebook data, messages, still images, videoand the like). Also, the memory 160 may store data relating to variouspatterns of vibrations and audio output upon the touch input on thetouch screen.

The memory 160 may be implemented using any type of suitable storagemedium including a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimediacard micro type, a memory card type (e.g., SD or DX memory), RandomAccess Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-OnlyMemory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory(EEPROM), Programmable Read-only Memory (PROM), magnetic memory,magnetic disk, optical disk, and the like. Also, the mobile terminal 100may operate a web storage which performs the storage function of thememory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 may generally be implemented to interface themobile terminal with external devices. The interface unit 170 may allowa data reception from an external device, a power delivery to eachcomponent in the mobile terminal 100, or a data transmission from themobile terminal 100 to an external device. The interface unit 170 mayinclude, for example, wired/wireless headset ports, external chargerports, wired/wireless data ports, memory card ports, ports for couplingdevices having an identification module, audio Input/Output (I/O) ports,video I/O ports, earphone ports, and the like.

The identification module may be configured as a chip for storingvarious information required to authenticate an authority to use themobile terminal 100, which may include a User Identity Module (UIM), aSubscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Universal Subscriber Identity Module(USIM), and the like. Also, the device having the identification module(hereinafter, referred to as ‘identification device’) may be implementedin a type of smart card. Hence, the identification device can be coupledto the mobile terminal 100 via a port.

Also, the interface unit 170 may serve as a path for power to besupplied from an external cradle to the mobile terminal 100 when themobile terminal 100 is connected to the external cradle or as a path fortransferring various command signals inputted from the cradle by a userto the mobile terminal 100. Such various command signals or powerinputted from the cradle may operate as signals for recognizing that themobile terminal 100 has accurately been mounted to the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operations of themobile terminal 100. For example, the controller 180 performs thecontrol and processing associated with telephony calls, datacommunications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 mayinclude a multimedia module 181 which provides multimedia playback. Themultimedia module 181 may be configured as part of the controller 180 oras a separate component.

The controller 180 can perform a pattern recognition processing so as torecognize writing or drawing input on the touch screen as text or image.

The power supply unit 190 serves to supply power to each component byreceiving external power or internal power under control of thecontroller 180.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in acomputer-readable medium using, for example, software, hardware, or somecombination thereof.

For a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may beimplemented within one or more of Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs). Digital SignalProcessing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, micro processors, other electronic units designed toperform the functions described herein, or a selective combinationthereof. In some cases, such embodiments are implemented by thecontroller 180.

For software implementation, the embodiments such as procedures andfunctions may be implemented together with separate software moduleseach of which performs at least one of functions and operations. Thesoftware codes can be implemented with a software application written inany suitable programming language. Also, the software codes may bestored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual view illustrating an operation implemented by themobile terminal of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a display module 251 is provided with a firstregion (A) arranged on the front surface of the body, and a secondregion (B) extending from the first region (A) and arranged on the sidesurfaces of the body (wherein, a surface of the mobile terminal viewedfrom the side is defined as a side surface).

The first region (A) and the second region (B) display different typesof information, and are provided with different types of user graphicinterfaces (GUI).

The second region (B) is provided with a left region (131) disposed on aleft side surface of the mobile terminal, and a right region (132)disposed on a right side surface of the mobile terminal. Under suchconfiguration, the second region (B) has a symmetric structure in rightand left directions based on the first region (A).

Referring to FIG. 2 (a), a home screen page may be output to the displaymodule 251 of the mobile terminal. The home screen page may include atleast one object. The Object may be an icon or a widget of anapplication installed at the mobile terminal. The home screen page maybe output to an entire region of the display module 251 including thefirst region (A) and the second region (B). However, the presentinvention is not limited to this. For instance, the home screen page maybe output only to the first region (A), and a touch input may be appliedto the second region where information is not output.

Referring to FIG. 2 (b), once a touch input is applied to the secondregion (B), the controller senses the touch input and performs a controloperation related to the touch input, in this embodiment, if a touchinput is applied to a notification icon (I) informing occurrence of anevent, information on the event is displayed on the first region (A).

Such operation to touch the side surfaces requires a hardwareconfiguration. Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of the mobileterminal which performs the operation of FIG. 2 will be explained inmore detail. The present invention also provides a structure to performthe operation by hardware, and to implement a large screen with a thinbezel portion.

FIG. 3a is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according tothe present invention, and FIG. 3b is a rear perspective view of themobile terminal of FIG. 3 a.

The mobile terminal 200 according to the present invention is a bar typemobile terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this,but may be applied to a slide type in which two or more bodies arecoupled to each other so as to perform a relative motion, a folder type,or a swing type, a swivel type and the like.

A body of the mobile terminal 200 comprises a case (casing, housing,cover, etc.). In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a frontcase 201 and a rear case 202 (refer to FIGS. 3a and 3b ) A space formedby the front case 201 and the rear case 202 may accommodate variouscomponents therein. At least one intermediate case may further bedisposed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202.

Such cases may be formed by injection-molded synthetic resin, or may beformed using a metallic material such as stainless steel (STS) ortitanium (Ti).

The display module 251, an audio output module 252, a camera module 221,etc. may be disposed at the front body, mainly at the front case 201. Aninterface 270, etc. may be disposed on side surfaces of the front case201 and the rear case 202.

The display module 251 occupies most of a main surface of the front case201. That is, the display module 251 is disposed on the front surface ofthe mobile terminal, and is configured to display visual information. Inthe present invention, the display module 251 is formed on the sidesurfaces as well as on the front surface. More specifically, the displaymodule 251 is provided with a first region (A) arranged on the frontsurface of the body, and a second region (B) (refer to FIG. 2) extendingfrom the first region (A) and arranged on the side surfaces of the body.

For instance, a window arranged on an upper surface of the displaymodule 251 has its two side suffices bent. Under such configuration, theappearance of the front surface and the side surfaces of the body isdetermined by the window. Therefore, the first region (A) and the secondregion (B) may be connected to each other without a boundarytherebetween. In this case, the display module 251 may be provided witha display bent and mounted in the mobile terminal in correspondence tothe window.

As another example, the display module 251 may be a flexible display.The flexible display includes a display bent, twisted, folded and rolledup by an external three. The flexible display may include a generalflexible display and electronic paper.

The general flexible display indicate a light-weighted and unbreakabledisplay fabricated on a thin and flexible substrate which can be bent orfolded like paper, while maintaining characteristics of the conventionalflat display.

Electronic paper is a display technique using characteristics of generalink, which may be different from a general flat display in thatreflected light is used. The electronic paper may change images or textsby twisting balls, or an electrophoresis using capsules.

The body, where two side surfaces of the display module are bent, can beimplemented by the flexible characteristics.

The audio output unit 252 and the camera module 221 may be disposed at aregion adjacent to one end of the display module 251, and a front userinput unit (not shown) and a microphone 222 may be disposed at a regionadjacent to another end of the display module 251.

The front user input unit, an example of the user input unit 130 (referto FIG. 1) may include a plurality of manipulation units. Themanipulation units may be referred to as manipulating portions, and mayinclude any type of ones that can be manipulated in a user's tactilemanner.

The display module 251 may form a touch screen together with a touchsensor. In this case, the touch screen may be implemented as a userinput unit. Under such configuration, a front user input unit may not beprovided on the front surface of the mobile terminal. That is, the firstregion (A) may be the only user input unit positioned on the frontsurface of the mobile terminal.

Referring to FIG. 3b , a camera module 221′ may be additionally providedon the rear case 202. The camera module 221′ faces a direction which isopposite to a direction faced by the camera module 221 (refer to FIG. 3a), and may have different pixels from those of the camera module 221.

For example, the camera module 221 may operate with relatively lowerpixels (lower resolution). Thus, the camera module 221 may be usefulwhen a user can capture his face and send it to another party during avideo call or the like. On the other hand, the camera module 221′ mayoperate with a relatively higher pixels (higher resolution) such that itcan be useful for a user to obtain higher quality pictures for lateruse. The camera modules 221 and 221 may be installed at the body so asto rotate or pop-up.

A flash and a mirror may be additionally disposed close to the cameramodule 221′. The flash operates in conjunction with the camera module221′ when taking a picture using the camera module 221′. The mirror cancooperate with the camera module 221′ to allow a user to photographhimself in a self-portrait mode.

An audio output unit (not shown) may be additionally arranged on a rearsurface of the body. The audio output unit disposed on the rear surfaceof the body may implement a stereo function, together with the audiooutput unit 252 (refer to FIG. 3a ) disposed on the front surface of thebody. And the audio output unit disposed on the rear surface of the bodymay be configured to operate as a speakerphone during a call.

That is, a first audio output unit 252 configured as a receiver may beformed on the front surface, and a second audio output unit configuredas a speaker may be formed on the rear surface. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this. That is, the second audio output unitmay be provided on a side surface of the mobile terminal.

A power supply unit 290 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 200is mounted to the body. The power supply unit 290 may be mounted in thebody, or may be detachably mounted to the body.

A rear user input unit 232 may be disposed on the rear surface of thebody. The rear user input unit 232 may be disposed below the cameramodule 221′.

The rear user input unit 232 is manipulated to input various commandsfor controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 200. For instance,the rear user input unit 232 is configured to input commands such asPOWER ON/OFF, START, END and SCROLL, commands for controlling a level ofsound outputted from the audio output module 252, or commands forconverting the current mode of the display module 251 to a touchrecognition mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this.That is, the mobile terminal may be provided with only one of the frontuser input unit and the rear user input unit 232.

Referring to FIG. 3a back, at least part of the second region (B) formsa side input unit. The side input unit may be provided with a touchsensor, and may be selectively combined with the display module 251. Forinstance, the side input unit may be a touch screen together with thedisplay module 251, or may be a touch sensing region rather than thedisplay module 251.

The side input unit may be implemented with a new type of structure.Hereinafter, a configuration of the side input unit will be explained inmore detail. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line “A-A” in FIG.3a , FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of part ‘B’ in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is anexploded view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 3 a.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, a window 251 a is coupled to one surface ofthe front case 201. The window 251 a may be formed of transmissivematerial, e.g., transmissive synthetic resin, reinforcing glass, etc.However, the window 251 a may include a non-transmissive region.

The body is provided with a front surface, a rear surface and sidesurfaces. And the window 251 a is arranged on the front surface, and thewindow 251 a has its edge portion bent so as to form at least part ofthe side surfaces.

More specifically, the window 251 a includes a front portion 254 a andan inclined portion 255 a. The front portion 254 a may be part whichforms at least part of the front surface of the mobile terminal. And theinclined portion 255 a may be part which extends from the edge portionof the front portion 254 a in a direction inclined from the frontportion 254 a. The window 251 a may include a vertical side portion 256a which extends from the inclined portion 255 a in a thickness directionof the body.

For instance, the inclined portion 255 a and the vertical side portion256 a may be implemented so that prescribed sections thereof can beextended in a lengthwise direction of the mobile terminal. The frontportion 254 a, the inclined portion 255 a and the vertical side portion256 may be sequentially formed in a width direction of the mobileterminal.

As shown, the inclined portion 255 a and the vertical side portion 256 aare provided with no push keys. That is, the side surfaces of the mobileterminal are provided with no push keys. Under such configuration, themobile terminal can have a very thin thickness, and the display module251 formed on the front surface of the mobile terminal can have a largerscreen.

More specifically, the inclined portion 255 a may be a curved surfacehaving an inclination angle with respect to the front portion 254 a. Theinclination angle of the inclined portion 255 a may be variable in awidthwise direction of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, the inclinedportion 255 a has a specific radius of curvature.

The vertical side portion 256 a is formed at the edge portion (or theend) of the inclined portion 255 a in a direction perpendicular to thefront portion 254 a. Under such configuration, a boundary between theinclined portion 255 a and the vertical side portion 256 a is bent.However, the present invention is not limited to this. For instance, thevertical side portion 256 a may have a different inclination angle fromthe inclined portion, or may be bent from the boundary between theinclined portion 255 a and the vertical side portion 256 a, In thiscase, the side portion is not extended in a direction perpendicular tothe front portion 254 a.

The aforementioned window is implemented as a single window.Accordingly, the front portion 254 a, the inclined portion 255 a and thevertical side portion 256 a may be integrally formed with each other.Further, the integrated single window is supported by the front case201. To this end, a supporting surface for supporting the window 251 ais provided at the front case 201. The front case 201 may be formed notto be exposed to outside from the side surfaces of the mobile terminal.In this case, the side appearance of the mobile terminal is formed bythe window 251 a and the rear case 202 (refer to FIG. 3b ).

As shown, a display 251 b may be mounted to a rear surface of the window251 a. The display 251 b is configured to display visual information,and is arranged to be covered by the window 251 a. The display 251 b mayinclude at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Thin FilmTransistor-LCD (TFT-LCD), an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displayand a three-dimensional (3D) display.

The window 251 a may be arranged to cover the display 251 b, and atransmissive region of the window 251 a may have an area correspondingto the display 251 b. Under such configuration, a user can recognizevisual information output to the display 251 b from outside. Further,the display 251 b has a bent appearance like a flexible display. Morespecifically, the display 251 b is formed so that its edge portion canbe bent in correspondence to a bent shape of the window 251 a.

For instance, the display 251 b includes a front display portion 254 band an inclined display portion 255 b. The front display portion 254 bhas a size and a shape corresponding to those of the front portion 254 aof the window 251 a, and the inclined display portion 255 b has a sizeand a shape corresponding to those of the inclined portion 254 b of thewindow 251 a, The inclined display portion 255 b may have a lengthshorter than that of the inclined portion 254 b of the window 251 a.Under such configuration, the end of the inclined portion 254 b of thewindow 251 a and the end of the inclined display portion 255 b may notbe formed on positions facing each other.

As shown, a touch sensor 251 c, configured to sense a touch inputapplied to the window 251 a, is disposed between the window 251 a andthe display 251 b.

For instance, the touch sensor 251 c may be mounted to the rear surfaceof the window 251 a, and a transmissive region of the window 251 a formsan inputtable region through the touch sensor 51 e. The touch sensor 251c is formed to be transmissive. In order to sense a touch input, thetouch sensor 251 c is configured to convert changes of a voltage, acapacitance, etc. occurring from a specific part of the window 251 ainto an electric input signal. More specifically, the touch sensor 251 cmay be configured to convert changes of a pressure applied to aprescribed part of the display module 251, or a capacitance occurringfrom a prescribed part of the display module 251, into electric inputsignals. Also, the touch sensor may be configured to sense not only atouched position and a touched area, but also a touch pressure.

The window 251 a, the touch sensor 251 c and the display 251 b may beconfigured as the display module 251. In this case, the display module251 operates as a touch screen.

As shown, the touch sensor 251 c is configured to cover a rear surfaceof the display 251 b as at least part thereof is folded. For instance,the touch sensor 251 c is formed to cover the rear surface of thedisplay 251 b with at least part thereof enclosing the end of thedisplay 251 b.

More specifically, the touch sensor 25 k includes a first part 257 c, asecond part 258 c and a third part 259 c.

The first part 257 c, which corresponds to the front portion 254 a ofthe window 251 a, is formed as a plane. And the first part 257 c isconfigured to sense a touch input applied to the front surface of themobile terminal. To this end, the first part 257 c may includetransmissive insulating layers where patterned conductive lines arearranged. For instance, a plurality of conductive lines are formed atthe first part 257 c in horizontal and vertical directions, so as tocalculate a touched position on the window 251 a.

The second part 258 c, which corresponds to the inclined portion 255 aof the window 251 a partially or wholly, may be part which extends fromthe edge portion of the first part 2570 in a direction inclined from thefirst part 257 c. That is, the second part 258 c is extended from theplane, and is formed so that at least part thereof can be inclined.

For instance, the second part 258 c of the touch sensor 251 c may bebent from at least one point so as to cover both of the inclined portion255 a and the vertical side portion 256 a.

The transmissive insulating layers are extended up to the second part258 c so that a touched position on the second part 258 c can becalculated. A plurality of conductive lines, connected to the conductivelines of the first part 257 c, are formed at extended part.

The third part 259 c, folded partially or wholly so as to be overlappedwith the second part 258 c, may be part extending from the edge portionof the second part 258 c. The touch sensor 251 e may include a curvedportion 260 curved by the folding between the second part 258 c and thethird part 259 c. The curved portion 260 is spaced from the end of thedisplay 251 b in a thickness direction of the body. That is, the display251 b is provided with a side end part spaced from a side end part ofthe window 251 a. Under such configuration, the edge portion of thedisplay 251 b may be disposed between the second part 258 c and thethird part 259 c, and a space may be formed between the end of thedisplay 251 b and the curved portion 260. The third part 259 c of thetouch sensor 251 c is formed to have a shape corresponding to that ofthe second part 258 c, so as to maintain a gap from the second part 258c. Under such configuration, the space is formed.

The structure is a mechanism where the first part 257 c, the second part258 c and the third part 259 c are integrally formed with each other.Here, the first part 257 c and the second part 258 c form a touch screentogether with the display 251 b, and the third part 259 c allows a sidetouch of the mobile terminal without being combined with the display 251b. Under such mechanism, a side touch sensing device, where thicknessincrease of a bezel portion is small, may be implemented in the mobileterminal.

As the touch sensor 251 c is folded at the curved portion 260, the endof the third part 259 c covers the rear surface of the display 251 b.For instance, the third part 259 c may be bonded to the rear surface ofthe display 251 b with covering the rear surface of the display 251 b.Under such configuration, the window 251 a, the touch sensor 251 c andthe display 251 b may be modularized, and the mobile terminal mayimplement a side touch.

An accommodation groove 201 a, configured to accommodate therein atleast part of the curved portion, may be formed at the supportingsurface of the front case 201. As the curved portion 260 is disposed atthe accommodation groove 201 a, the curved portion 260 of the touchsensor 251 c may protrude from the window 251 a. Under suchconfiguration, a mechanism, where touch sensing can be extended up tothe side ends of the window 251 a, can be implemented.

The transmissive insulating layers of the second part 258 c are extendedto form a base of the third part 259 e, and conductive lines for signaltransmission are formed at the base. More specifically, touch sensingpatterns may be formed at the first part 257 c and the second part 258c. And signal transmission patterns, connected to the touch sensingpatterns and configured to transmit touch signals to a circuit board261, may be formed at the third part 259 c.

The signal transmission patterns, data lines for transmitting signals tothe circuit board 261, may be arranged along the edge portion of thetransmissive insulating layers. And the signal transmission patterns maybe connected to a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 262. That is,the FPCB 262 connected to the circuit board 261 is mounted to the thirdpart 259 c. However, the present invention is not limited to this. TheFPCB 262 may be connected to the upper end of the touch sensor, ratherthan the right side or the left side of the touch sensor.

The circuit board 261 may be configured as an example of the controller180 (refer to FIG. 1) for performing various types of functions of themobile terminal. Various types of electronic devices, etc. may bemounted to the circuit board 261.

The third part 259 c is overlapped with the second part 258 c, and thesignal transmission patterns are formed at the third part 259 c.Accordingly, increase of the size of the mobile terminal for signaltransmission means increase of the thickness of the mobile terminal dueto the third part 259 c. Under such configuration, a region on the touchsensor for trace signals may be increased.

As shown, the third part 259 c may be provided with a plurality ofcut-out portions 263. Through the cut-out portions 263, a bonding regionon the rear surface of the display 251 b, to which the third part 259 cis bonded, may be increased while interference between the third part259 c and other component is minimized.

If the bar-type mobile terminal is merely folded for a side touch, thethickness of the mobile terminal is increased due to a side touchsensing structure and a bezel portion. In the present invention, aprescribed part of the touch sensor (e.g., part corresponding to a bezelportion is folded for prevention of thickness increase of the mobileterminal.

Such structure may be modified in various manners, which will beexplained in more detail.

In the following modification embodiments or preferred embodiments,components having the same or similar configuration as/to those of theaforementioned embodiment will be provided with the same or similarreference numerals, and explanations thereof will be omitted. FIG. 7 isa sectional view of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment ofthe present invention.

As shown, a window 251 a and a display 251 b have the same configurationas those of the aforementioned embodiment, but a touch sensor 351 c hasa modified configuration.

For instance, the touch sensor 351 c is formed to be overlapped with itspart as at least part thereof is folded, but not to cover the rearsurface of the display 251 b. More specifically, the touch sensor 351 cincludes a first part 357 c, a second part 358 c and a third part 359 c.

The first part 357 c, which corresponds to the front portion 254 a ofthe window 251 a, is formed as a plane. And the first part 357 c isconfigured to sense a touch input applied to the front surface of themobile terminal.

The second part 358 e, which corresponds to the inclined portion 255 aof the window 251 a partially or wholly, may be part which extends fromthe edge portion of the first part 357 c in a direction inclined fromthe first part 357 c. That is, the second part 358 c is extended fromthe plane, and is formed so that at least part thereof can be inclined.

The third part 359 c, folded partially or wholly so as to be overlappedwith the second part 358 c, may be part extending from the edge portionof the second part 358 c. However, the third part 359 c is extended fromthe second part up to a point which does not cover the rear surface ofthe display 251 b. The touch sensor 351 c may include a curved portion360 curved by the folding between the second part 358 c and the thirdpart 359 c. The curved portion 360 is spaced from the end of the display251 b in a thickness direction of the body.

Under such configuration, the edge portion of the display 251 b may notbe disposed between the second part 358 c and the third part 359 c, anda space may be formed between the end of the display 251 b and thecurved portion 360.

If a side touch is applied to the mobile terminal having such structure,interference may occur between a bezel portion and a touch sensingregion when a touch input is sensed and a signal is transmitted. Toprevent such problem, a shielding member such as a metallic member maybe inserted into a space formed between the end of the display 251 b andthe curved portion 360. However, the metallic member is not limited tothis embodiment, but may be applied to the aforementioned embodiment.That is, the metallic member may be also applied to a space between theend of the display and the curved portion in the aforementionedembodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a mobile terminal according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

As shown, a window 251 a has the same configuration as that of theaforementioned embodiment, but a display 451 b and a touch sensor 451 chave a modified configuration.

The display 451 b is implemented as an organic light-emitting diode(OLED), and is provided with a side display portion 463 c correspondingto the vertical side portion 256 a of the window 251 a. Under suchconfiguration, the display 451 b is extended up to part where the touchsensor 451 c is folded (curved).

The side display portion 463 c is formed at the edge portion (or theend) of an inclined display portion 455 b in a direction perpendicularto the front display portion 254 b. Under such configuration, a boundarybetween the inclined portion 455 b and the side display portion 463 c isbent. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Forinstance, the side display portion 463 c may have a differentinclination angle from the inclined display portion 455 b, or may bebent from the boundary between the inclined portion 455 b and the sidedisplay portion 463 c. In this case, the side display portion is notextended in a direction perpendicular to the front display portion 254b.

As shown, the touch sensor 451 c is configured to cover a rear surfaceof the side display portion 463 c as the third part 359 c thereof isfolded.

The display 451 b is extended up to a folded part (curved portion) ofthe touch sensor 451 c, and the third part 359 c covers the side displayportion. Under such configuration, interference occurring between abezel portion and a touch sensing region can be prevented.

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a mobile terminal according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

As shown, a body comprises a frame 503 which supports a window 551 a.The frame 503 is configured to support a rear surface of a display 551b, and to implement the side appearance of the mobile terminal partiallyor wholly.

An accommodation groove 503 a, configured to accommodate therein atleast part of a curved portion 560 of a touch Sensor 551 c, is formed atthe frame 503. More specifically, a third part 559 c of the touch sensor551 c is completely accommodated in the accommodation groove 503 a,without covering the rear surface of the display 551 b. In this case,the window 551 a, the display 551 b, the touch sensor 551 c and theframe 503 may be implemented as a single module.

The present invention can have the following advantages.

Firstly, at least part of the touch sensor is folded to cover the rearsurface of the display. Under such configuration, a side touch sensingdevice, where thickness increase of a bezel portion is small, can beimplemented.

Secondly, as the rear surface of the display is covered, a region on thetouch sensor for trace signals can be increased. Under suchconfiguration, a side touch sensing device, where a signal sensingregion is extended up to the end of the side surfaces of the mobileterminal, can be implemented.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and arenot to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. The presentteachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Thisdescription is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scopeof the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will beapparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods,and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described hereinmay be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments.

As the present features may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understoodthat the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of thedetails of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, butrather should be considered broadly within its scope as defined in theappended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fallwithin the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metesand bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal, comprising: a body having afront surface, a rear surface and side surfaces; a window disposed onthe front surface, and having at least one edge portion bent so as toform at least part of the side surfaces; a case having a supportingsurface supporting the window; a display disposed to face the window,and configured to output visual information and formed such that itsedge portion is bent in correspondence to a bent shape of the window;and a touch sensor disposed between the window and the display,configured to sense a touch input applied to the window, wherein thetouch sensor is mounted to a rear surface of the window, wherein thesupporting surface of the case supports the at least one edge portion ofthe window, and wherein an accommodation groove is recessed from thecase in a thickness direction of the body, is formed at the supportingsurface of the case and is configured to accommodate therein at leastone curved portion of the touch sensor.
 2. The mobile terminal of claim1, wherein the touch sensor includes a folded part, wherein the at leastone curved portion of the touch sensor is curved by the folded part ofthe touch sensor, and herein the at least one curved portion is spacedfrom an end part of the display in a thickness direction of the body soas to form a space between the end part of the display and the at leastone curved portion.
 3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein at leasta part of the folded part of the touch sensor covers a rear surface ofthe display.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein an audio outputmodule is disposed at the case.
 5. The mobile terminal of claim 1,wherein the touch sensor is mounted to a rear surface of the window. 6.The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the window comprises: a frontportion which forms at least part of the front surface; and an inclinedportion which extends from an edge portion of the front portion in adirection inclined from the front portion; and the touch sensorcomprises: a first part corresponding to the front portion of thewindow; a second part corresponding to the inclined portion of thewindow partially or wholly; and a third part folded partially or whollyso as to be overlapped with the second part.
 7. The mobile terminal ofclaim 6, wherein a flexible printed circuit board, connected to acircuit board, is mounted to the third part of the touch sensor.
 8. Themobile terminal of claim 6, wherein a plurality of cut-out portions areformed at the third part of the touch sensor.
 9. The mobile terminal ofclaim 1, wherein two side surface of the window are configured to bebent.